


Time to Breathe

by WhiteFoxKitsune (ProwlingThunder)



Series: In The Black [33]
Category: Invasion America
Genre: Being a Rebel is hard, Gen, Humans, Tyrusians
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-09
Updated: 2014-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-20 11:30:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2427077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProwlingThunder/pseuds/WhiteFoxKitsune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt!Fill.</p><p>Jim just needs a break for a few hours.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Time to Breathe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZpanSven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZpanSven/gifts).



> Prompt: Hero

There are days that Jim is simply too tired to move after training, and days that his muscles are still easy to stretch and relax. The former happens often enough that the latter is immensely special, so Jim spends it trying to catch up on the language his friend speaks with ease, and wishing he could follow through the plans David's generating as he turns the scattered band of former Ooshati and their offspring into a verifiable army.

The language is both easy to understand, and exceptionally hard. Apparently the Tyrusians themselves learn languages far too quickly, but some of the hybrids have trouble, and Jim counts it as a success every time he can hold string together a good ten sentences, or work through some of the study material with the kids. It upset him, but it was for a good cause.

Some days though, like today, Jim didn't even try. He leaned against the cool side of a log, back to the fire, and cradled an art book instead. It was pretty much empty, even still, but David had swore it helped. Jim didn't see how; the Baileys were about as artistic as a bunch of rocks.

Though the Grand Canyon had some pretty nice rock formations...

The shadows thrown by the firelight shifted, and the scent of the thick mule-kick coffee hit his nose. Jim winced. He didn't know how David could stand to drink that stuff, but Jim couldn't. He'd been nursing strictly water for months now; he'd kill for a soda.

But that wasn't going to happen, either.

“Jim?”

David was a good guy. Jim knew that. They'd been friends before they'd ever made it out here into these mountains. For summers before David had all but bodily dragged him out of the mall that day, worried and insistent, with Amy looking over her shoulder in a paranoia Jim hadn't been able to recognize, not then. So much of that day made sense now, in hindsight. 

But sometimes Jim thought, maybe David hadn't realized he had hauled a regular human into the middle of this. Right in the middle. Not even on the fringes, where stray bullets had a higher miss or hit ratio, but right in the middle of the whole bloody mess--

David bumped his arm. Jim's paper now had a horridly long scribbled mess on it. Jim stared at it in confusion, daring it to admit that he was the cause. “Jim, look at me.”

He did; glanced up, watching the firelight play off David's sharp features-- a face men would kill to have and women would kill to claim-- and dance in violet-blue eyes. Jim had learned that David looked identical to his father, enough so that the Ooshati had thought a ghost had stepped into their camp, and he couldn't imagine looking in the mirror and seeing the face of a dead man staring back at him, a face he'd never see otherwise.

Something in David's face twisted. Jim couldn't put his finger on it. “You okay? You've been quiet.”

Jim didn't dare look away. Not because it might have been seen as rude-- David wouldn't do that to him-- but because there was something... Oh. “I'm okay. Just... bored?”

“Out of place?” David grinned ruefully. Jim nodded. Before Amy had left to head northward, Jim had spent most of his time studying with her. Language, combat, history. Apparently 'human guy' still didn't match up to 'pregnant Tyrusian woman', no matter how far along she got. It was a blow to his pride that he had tried not to take too seriously, but now that she was gone, he found himself listing. There wasn't much else he could do. “I'm sorry. I'll spend more time with you.”

Jim shook his head instead. He couldn't ask that-- wouldn't ask that. David had been training for this his whole life. “The Dragit's a villain, David. You have to take him down. I know that.” Except that spending time with his friend was something he wanted to do. Was it wrong to want that, even though he knew David was doing exactly what he needed to do? If they didn't stop the Dragit, there wouldn't be an Earth to live on.

“Yes,” David agreed, then his lips twitched up in a faint smile Jim almost didn't recognize. It looked foreign on his face now, usually so focused and worried. “And we will. Together. I cannot do this alone, Jim.”

David needed a vacation. It was startling. But it made sense, too; he'd been so focused on organizing the rebellion, training people, making plans, that he hadn't had any time for himself. And if he hadn't had any time for himself, he certainly hadn't had any for Jim. Jim weighed his options, and then decided there wouldn't be any better a chance.

“Hay David? Let's go to town tomorrow. We need another run to the store, right?”

And if Jim happened to sneak a board game or something into the cart when David wasn't looking, well, at least it would help keep moral up, and it was something human Jim knew, besides.


End file.
